You Said, "Tap Wood"

[HoosierCat]

One .500 season and we're already gettin' raided, eh?

Green to tap Wood?

1-13-04, 10:35 p.m.

BY GEOFF HOBSON

The Bengals may have lost one of their assistant coaches according to an Arizona newspaper. The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that wide receivers coach Alex Wood is the leading candidate to be the Cardinals offensive coordinator after spending the day at the club’s facility.

Neither team confirmed the expected move Tuesday, which was also reported by the club’s flagship radio station.

Wood, 48, appears to be heading to a reunion in the desert with new Arizona head coach Dennis Green. Wood spent three seasons with Green in Minnesota developing quarterback Daunte Culpepper as his position coach.

Wood had a productive season in what appears to be his only year in Cincinnati with both starting receivers having their best seasons. Chad Johnson is starting in the Pro Bowl with 90 catches and an AFC-leading 1,355 yards while Peter Warrick missed an 80-catch season by one ball after missing the next to last game of the season with arthroscopic knee surgery. Third-round pick Kelley Washington also flashed some rookie promise as the third receiver in responding with 22 catches and four touchdowns, the most passing scores by a rookie wideout since Warrick had four in 2000 and Darnay Scott five in 1994.

Any ideas for a replacement?

[Kirkendall]

This doesn't surprise me, look for this more as coaches look to rejoin their roots with Green -- speaks measures about the man himself. Also watch for Tice to lose his job after this season -- I fear that McCombs doesn't like him -- and join Green in 2005 while Cotrell takes up the head coaching position (why I think he was originally hired).

As for a replacement, I'm not well versed on the lower coaching positions and who is available so I can't answer with any certainty or even knowledge on the subject.

[jjakq27]

What ever happened with the midseason story about Rickey Hundley going to Arizona State?

[jbengals1]

As for a replacement, I'm not well versed on the lower coaching positions and who is available so I can't answer with any certainty or even knowledge on the subject.

here is 1 i think would fit very well

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Saints have cut wide receivers coach Hubbard Alexander and defensive line coach Sam Clancy, but are keeping the seven other position coaches.

The team’s top receiver took the decision not to renew Alexander’s contract personally, saying the coach was being unfairly blamed for the team’s 8-8 season.

“I’m infuriated,” said Joe Horn, who led Saints receivers with 78 catches for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns. “That’s basically slapping me in the face, saying my receivers coach didn’t get the job done... Why use my mentor as the scapegoat? What are you telling me? Basically, you’re telling me that you’re the main reason why we lost.”

HE SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD FIT AND COULD GET SOME GOOD PLAYERS TO COME TO CINCY

[JBrooks]

I don't know about the Saints former WR guy. Donte Stallworth was supposed to be a can't miss, he hasn't shown up at all.

And if their leading receiver can't even get 80 catches or 1000 yards...WTF?? Boldin of Arizona had a great year as a rookie and every defense they play keyed in on him. How about Arizona's WR coach in a swap?

On top of all that, Big Mouth Joe Horn and his cell phone don't seem like the best reference in my very humble opinion.

[Kirkendall]

How about Arizona's WR coach in a swap?

I'm not sure if Boldin justifies a coaches ability to coach; Boldin is a phenom. The other receivers do not convince me.

Donte Stallworth was supposed to be a can't miss, he hasn't shown up at all.

In his defense, he has been plagued with injuries all season.

I take the stance of adjusting to the overall stats. Points I believe hold substance:

Arizona had only two guys with 40 catches or more and three with 400 yards or more. New Orleans had four guys with 40 receptions and five guys with 400 yards.

But you could counter all of that by looking at the QBs and offenses in general along with the schemes and how the running game helps establish the pass (weighing McAllister and Shipp), but this poses a great debate.

[Jam31]

Arizona's receivers coach Jerry Sullivan was hired by the Ravens today.

We need all the coaching we can get on that side of the ball

[kevnz]

Coach Lewis said that everyone is under contract and no one is leaving unless they are a gonna be a head coach. But Lewis could relent and let Wood go, but probably not until he finds a replacement. Hunley didn't get the job at Arizona State.

[jbengals1]

contract or not hes gone and without a replacement --> http://www.bengals.com/

[Jam31]

I stand corrected, Sullivan was hired by the Dolphins today!

Stupid fish....................

GO TERPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[redsfan2]

contract or not hes gone and without a replacement --> http://www.bengals.com/ 

Lots of names being thrown around about this one.

Enquirer says that Lewis' top choice is Hue Jackson. Former Redskins O.C. Said Lewis liked him from his days with the 'skins, and if Brat hadn't stayed in Cincy he would have tried to get Jackson in as O.C. here. Other name mentioned that surprised me a little was Steve Spurrier Jr. ... also from the skins. Both of these guys are available because they weren't retained by Gibbs when he came on board. Either way, it sounds like Lewis was prepared for this and had a few names up his sleeve already.

Also ............. get this. The Bills and the Steelers are BOTH trying to land Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator. Go figure huh ! And lastly, Greg Williams wants Krumrie in Washington if he can ge him away from Mularkey ( new Bills head coach ). On the local news, every time they talk about Mularkey here they always say that he had been offered the Bengals head coaching job but turned it down ....... implying he was waiting for an offer with a better team. Just one more reason for me to hope Lewis kicks his ass when the Bills come to Cincy.

[hottub]

About LeBeau: he's actually got a pretty impressive resume. I mean, he invented (or co-invented, depending on the source) the zone blitz! He doesn't have the right personality to lead a team (as we all now know) but he deserves respect. Even out here in New England (where it is now -11 degrees!), even during the worst years of Bunglitis, I never heard any football types rip LeBeau as a fraud. He wanted a chance to be head coach; he worked a long time at a high level waiting to get that chance; and once he got the chance, he tried his best and failed. So he finally rose to the level of his incompetance - so what? All he has to do is fall back one level and he's right back where he belongs. I wish him the best.

I googled for a biography, and found this. It reads pretty well, and knowing what we all know now, you can already see the tendencies that would undermine LeBeau's tenure as head coach.

[HoosierCat]

Interesting tidbit on Hue Jackson from bengals.com:

If Jackson surfaces, it would be a reunion with Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Jackson, 38, recruited and coached Palmer when he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California. He left the Trojans before Palmer’s junior season in 2001 to join the Redskins as running backs coach.

[redsfan2]

About LeBeau: he's actually got a pretty impressive resume.  I mean, he invented (or co-invented, depending on the source) the zone blitz!  He doesn't have the right personality to lead a team (as we all now know) but he deserves respect.  Even out here in New England (where it is now -11 degrees!), even during the worst years of Bunglitis, I never heard any football types rip LeBeau as a fraud.  He wanted a chance to be head coach; he worked a long time at a high level waiting to get that chance; and once he got the chance, he tried his best and failed.  So he finally rose to the level of his incompetance - so what?  All he has to do is fall back one level and he's right back where he belongs.  I wish him the best.

I googled for a biography, and found this.  It reads pretty well, and knowing what we all know now, you can already see the tendencies that would undermine LeBeau's tenure as head coach.

First of all, everybody in pro football likes LeBeau. Personally, he's supposed to be one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I've never met the man so I can't disagree with any of it. I know him by his record as a coach and a coordinator for the Bengals, and he sucked ........... Capital S on the Sucked.

During his first tenure as defensive coordinator, I screamed at the tv till I almost broke blood vessels. The Bengals did have a couple of good years during his run, but it was due to an offense that was hard to stop. It was never thanks to the defense. That was mediocre at best.

He was coordinator from '84 to '91 ( when he was fired ). In 1983 the defense was ranked 1st. In 1984 after his first year, the defense went to being ranked 12th. The highest is was ever ranked during his tenure was 7th in 1987. In 1988, the team went 12 and 4 with a defense ranked 17th. The last 2 years he was with the Bengals 1990 ... def. was 25th, and in '91 it was 28th. Dead last. Remember all of these rankings were out of 28 places.

He did welll in Pittsburgh mainly ( I think ) to Bill Cowher. But here in Cincinnati he went from mediocre to terrible. That's not ripping on him personally, that's just saying what his record was while he was in Cincinnati. With some of the offenses this team had during those years, they would have been almost unstoppable with even a competent defense.

I wish him good luck too ......... anywhere but here.

[Kirkendall]

But here in Cincinnati he went from mediocre to terrible. That's not ripping on him personally, that's just saying what his record was while he was in Cincinnati.

To his defense as a head coach, he did have Mike Brown breathing down his throat giving him the worst talent year in and out.

But overall, I agree with you RedsFan.

[hottub]

I screamed at the tv till I almost broke blood vessels

I'm sorry to make you relive that. Okay, I'll conceed the point. I didn't know the numbers you gave about the defensive rankings - thanks for the knowledge! I did remember the Pittsburgh "blitzburgh" years, and although I never saw him play, I have always been impressed with LeBeau's bio.

Either way, tho, I absolutely agree that he Sucked as a head coach, and shouldn't ever be a Bengal coach again in any capacity. The stink was too intense, and he's forever associated with it. I'm just saying, don't be surprised when he gets another big job, or even has some significant success.

[redsfan2]

I screamed at the tv till I almost broke blood vessels

I'm sorry to make you relive that. Okay, I'll conceed the point. I didn't know the numbers you gave about the defensive rankings - thanks for the knowledge! I did remember the Pittsburgh "blitzburgh" years, and although I never saw him play, I have always been impressed with LeBeau's bio.

Either way, tho, I absolutely agree that he Sucked as a head coach, and shouldn't ever be a Bengal coach again in any capacity. The stink was too intense, and he's forever associated with it. I'm just saying, don't be surprised when he gets another big job, or even has some significant success.

I didn't mean that to be a personal rant against you, so I hope you didn't take it as one. I know you'll find this hard to believe, but to me, LeBeau being hired in any capacity by the Bengals is like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it.

My problem is that I'm old enough to remember all of the stuff I was ranting about. The odd thing is that I really do believe everything that gets said about LeBeau personally. I remember him vaguely as a player as well, and that is one area where his record is not misleading. He was dam good. He's also probably a very likeable guy. It was just so frustrating to watch Boomer and co. go out and score from anywhere on the field, and then watch the defense come out and try to figure out which guy on the opposing team was the quarterback. These guys had absolutely no clue. I agree with Kirk that Mike Brown wasn't the biggest help. He doesn't get off the hook for anything that went on for the entire "age of helplessism". Good coaches though ( ala Lewis & co. ) have to be able to get the most out of what they've got and develop schemes and plans that will make up for some of the weaknesses in personell.

As to the numbers, that came courtesy of a site that one of the guys on this site mentioned ..... JoiseyCat or Chris ...... I think . Can't remember which. ............. As to re - living it ...... it was cathartic. I do feel better now.

[jjakq27]

Interesting tidbit on Hue Jackson from bengals.com:

If Jackson surfaces, it would be a reunion with Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Jackson, 38, recruited and coached Palmer when he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California. He left the Trojans before Palmer’s junior season in 2001 to join the Redskins as running backs coach.

This concerns me a little. I don't think Palmer's numbers took off until Norm Chow(?) became CP's coordinator at USC after Jackson left..but I guess he'd be coaching the WR's not Palmer.

[redsfan2]

Interesting tidbit on Hue Jackson from bengals.com:

If Jackson surfaces, it would be a reunion with Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Jackson, 38, recruited and coached Palmer when he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California. He left the Trojans before Palmer’s junior season in 2001 to join the Redskins as running backs coach.

This concerns me a little. I don't think Palmer's numbers took off until Norm Chow(?) became CP's coordinator at USC after Jackson left..but I guess he'd be coaching the WR's not Palmer.

One of the articles I read on Palmer chalked that up to him playing in like 3 different schemes due to coaching changes. It didn't fault Palmer or any of the coaches, it just pointed out that he was always trying to learn new offenses and that was what led to his lower numbers.

It's also where he picked up the tag of being a little slow on the uptake .... if you know what I mean.

[Kirkendall]

Soooo the article says Palmer is slow to pick up on an offensive system, eh? I really think Palmer will struggle his first season and the majority of Cincy leftists will be perched on the fence pushing the gate open for Kitna. But we all agree, if we put Palmer in now, it's for good. At least it will give him a year under his belt for our 2005 Super Bowl run.

[BengalszoneBilly]

It's also where he picked up the tag of being a little slow on the uptake .... if you know what I mean.

You know...that runs counter to what they been sayin' about him up here in the pros, Kitna included. I'll go with the pro's opinion, thank you very much. You forget that was college, and football wasn't his only focus...hello? He did have a class or two to attend.

[redsfan2]

Palmer had his critics coming out of college and being projected as the #1 pick. Two of the knocks on him were his low numbers and that he was slow to learn offenses. A 3rd and less talked about was that he finally did well only when he had the best coaching. While he was considered the best qb in the draft last year, they said he wouldn't have fared so well against other top qb's from previous years.

For every negative about Palmer, someone else would come up with a positive or an explanation of what had cause the percieved problem with him. Both the low numbers and the slow learner knocks were explained by repeatedly having to learn new offfenses. They said that once he was able to play under a stable program that his numbers blossomed. Following that, came the assertion that he could only do well with top notch coaching. I doubt that got much press, because it's pretty trite.

I know that it goes counter to what is being said about him now, and I didn't say that I agreed with the article in the first place. I was mentioning it more in relation to Jackson than Palmer. Sometimes I just dont make my point very well .... that's all.

Even his detractors said he would need a year to pick up a pro offense, and he's had that so I don't see that as a problem even if the worst of his critics were right. As to him having a rough time in his rookie season ........ could be. Manning had his ups and downs as did Aikmen. Like I said on the other thread, he looks and sounds like the genuine article and he's been touted in the press and on the practice field as the real deal as well. Fact is though we aren't going to know for sure till we put him in a game and see what he does. If he is, then he'll show it ....... even through a rough start you'll be able to see flashes. If not, then he's fooled a lot of really knowledgeable people for over a year now, and I wouldn't want to be in any of their shoes if that happens.

[richmond_mat]

He did welll in Pittsburgh mainly ( I think ) to Bill Cowher. But here in Cincinnati he went from mediocre to terrible. That's not ripping on him personally, that's just saying what his record was while he was in Cincinnati. With some of the offenses this team had during those years, they would have been almost unstoppable with even a competent defense.

I wish him good luck too ......... anywhere but here.

His best year in Pittsburgh was the year he was promoted to coordinator, inheriting what Dom Capers left behind. So it was his inheritance he was using that did well. Steeler fans know Lebeau is a bust, so look for him to be elsewhere next season. Maybe not

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04016/262080.stm

Dickie may be one heckuva a guy, but he stinks as defensive coordinator and head coach.

[Kirkendall]

NOTE - I'm not for or against LeBeau, as long as he's out of Cincy.

He has to be doing something right though, people are still hiring him. What does that say? Even though the rankings struggled in those years at Pitt, does that in comparision with people leaving, busted draft picks, iempt offenses that allow other teams to score?

I found this interesting though - "LeBeau is the father of the zone blitz, a defensive style he developed with the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s. He introduced it to the Steelers' 3-4 alignment, and it became the rage of the 1990s as other teams around the league copied it."

Very optimistic spin or conservative hope?

[redsfan2]

NOTE - I'm not for or against LeBeau, as long as he's out of Cincy.

He has to be doing something right though, people are still hiring him. What does that say? Even though the rankings struggled in those years at Pitt, does that in comparision with people leaving, busted draft picks, iempt offenses that allow other teams to score?

I found this interesting though - "LeBeau is the father of the zone blitz, a defensive style he developed with the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s. He introduced it to the Steelers' 3-4 alignment, and it became the rage of the 1990s as other teams around the league copied it."

Very optimistic spin or conservative hope?

Coaching and management jobs in all major sports is the last real bastion of the old boys syndrome. I would be hard pressed to name a coach or manager in any of the major sports who didn't get fired from one job and go straight to another no matter how badly he had done.

Not going to argue the point that LeBeau didn't do some good things ..... I'm sure he did. To use another example, Greg Williams gets fired in Buffalo after a total disaster of a season and goes straight to work for Gibbs with a 800 thousand dollar raise. Can you imagine ???????